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First Place Pysanky and Third Place Best of Show
Lorrie Popow As an artist, Lorrie Popow is well know in pysanky circles. She has won numerous awards, been featured in a pysanky instructional video, many magazines and sells pre-drawn eggs on eBay under the name eggsandthings. With a surname of Popow, you would think she came from a Ukrainian background and grew up being taught at the kitchen table by her mother and grandmother, but that, it turns out, is not the case. "My father had many times told me that being Indian, I should always work with my hands to make beautiful things," said Lorrie. "I think he meant beautiful Indian things." Lorrie's heritage includes a Great Grandmother that was full blooded Cherokee Indian and Great Grandparent that was Choctaw. "I can't tell you too much because all the family history is being studied and authenticated. What we do know for sure is that Theodore De Rousseau, born 1650, a Huguenot came to America is as far back as we can go." In an interesting twist, Lorrie's husband Tom, who is of Ukrainian descent, knaps Indian arrowheads.
Lorrie grew up in what is now called the Ukrainian Village in
Chicago. The neighborhood was full of ethnic delights such as the Delta
Ukrainian Import and Export store, Ann's Bakery, several Ukrainian groceries and
the Ukrainian Museum. Each establishment displayed what is commonly called
Ukrainian Easter eggs, or pysanky eggs. As a child she loved the bright
colors and patterns of the eggs, but had no idea how they were done. One
day, while on an errand for her mother, eight year old
Without training, a mentor or tools, she began to try to teach herself how to make the eggs. Her first kistka was made from a metal cone shape wrapped with coat hanger wire to make a handle. For dyes she used everything from Paas Egg Kits to boiled crepe paper. She collected anything wax for melting. In the early seventies, to Lorrie's great delight, her mother found a book describing the techniques and tools needed to draw pysanky and made a present to her daughter that enabled her to keep that promise made years earlier - to learn to draw pysanky.
Lorrie lives with her husband Tom in Hot Springs, Arkansas. "I'm always ready to sit down and show you all I know. My home has been opened to visitors since we moved here in 1973. I try to answer all emails, letters, and phone calls about pysanky, and if I don't have the answers I find someone that does," says Lorrie. In 1994 Lorrie revisited her old Chicago neighborhood. Visiting the store where she first saw someone working on eggs, she met Marie, the owner. She told her about the lady in the window and how it inspired her to learn to write pysanky, about the work she had done, the awards won and how much she loved it. Marie hugged her and said "I'm that lady." Lorrie Popow |
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Lorrie
passed a window where a lady was sitting working on pysanky eggs. She was
fascinated and pressed close to the glass to watch, trying to see and understand
every move. When the lady stood up and headed for her, Lorrie was jarred
back to reality and, afraid she was going to be scolded, ran away.
She completed her errand and headed home, passing the window once again with
it's pysanky artist. At that time she made herself a promise - to learn
how to make the eggs.
